SKILLEN (H): The Enigma Symposium 1992. THE FIRST ENIGMA SYMPOSIUM. SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR [Privately Printed, Pinner, 1992] Roy. 8vo., First Edition, with photographs, facsimiles and maps in the text; original photographic wrappers, wire-stitched as issued, a near fine copy. SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR ON TITLE. The first Enigma Symposium, held at the Swan hotel in Bedford. The last to date was held in 2003. Scarce. £70.00

SKILLEN (H).: Spies of the Airwaves [with] Knowledge strengthens the Arm [with] Enigma and its Achilles Heel. [THE Y SERVICES TRILOGY COMPLETE. EACH VOLUME SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR] [Privately Printed, Pinner, 1989-91-92] 3 vols., 8vo., First Edition, with 46 plates on 24, very numerous photographs, facsimiles, maps and diagrams (many full-page) in the text and front and rear endpaper maps (first two volumes) and front endpaper chart (third volume), some yellow highlighting in first volume; cloth, gilt backs, a fine set in unclipped dust-wrappers. SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR ON TITLE OF ALL THREE VOLUMES. VOLUME TWO IS A PRESENTATION COPY FROM THE AUTHOR WITH HIS HOLOGRAPH INSCRIPTION AND THE RECIPIENT'S BOOKPLATE ON FRONT FREE ENDPAPER VERSO. The trilogy comprises Spies of the Airwaves (1989), Knowledge strengthens the Arm (1991) and Enigma and its Achilles Heel (1992). Skillen's comprehensive and detailed history of the Y Services is a remarkable personal achievement. The first volume describes how Y provided Allied commanders with regular and accurate intelligence through wireless intercepts. The second volume concentrates on the background to the training of intelligence officers (including a fascinating personal diary of signals exercises and details of the three Germans who made Y victory possible). The final volume stresses the intricacies of the interplay between Y and ULTRA, some elements of which are lost even now in classified secrecy. Privately printed in relatively small numbers, individual volumes are increasingly scarce. Together they comprise an outstanding contribution to the understanding of Y, ULTRA and Enigma throughout WWII. THIS IS THE FIRST COMPLETE SET WE HAVE SEEN OFFERED FOR SALE. £336.00

WINDHAM (W), Col., and George, First Marquis Townshend. EXCEPTIONAL FAMILY COPY: A Plan of Discipline for the Use of the Norfolk Militia. In Three Parts. The Second Edition, greatly improved. To which is now added, the Present Manual Exercise for the Army, as ordered by His Majesty. With Encampments for Infantry and Cavalry Printed for J, Millan, Bookseller, near Whitehall. 1768 4to., Second and Best Edition, on laid paper, with 45 fine engraved plates of drill movements, 7 engraved plans (3 folding) of manoeuvres and 5 folding tables of drill sequences; strongly bound in contemporary speckled full calf, back gilt with five raised bands, compartments tooled in gilt to a floral design, morocco label gilt, gilt doublures, speckled edges, some light spotting on endpapers, hinges cracked (but binding entirely sound) else a splendid, bright, fresh and most unusually clean copy. With the fine eighteenth century engraved armorial bookplate of Viscount Townshend's eldest son George Townshend, Baron de Ferrers of Chartley, Baron Bourchier & Loveyn. A manuscript press-mark in a contemporary hand is also present on front paste-down.With the Advertisement leaf, dedication to the Earl of Shaftesbury and all plates and plans as called for.The 'Manual Exercise, with Explanations, as ordered by His Majesty' (Printed for J, Millan, 1770) appears here for the first time as a small octavo bound in at rear. It is a near fine copy on laid paper, uncut and unopened.A highly regarded military manual, first issued in 1759, whose influence extended far beyond the boundaries of Norfolk and indeed of Great Britain. An adaptation of this considerably enlarged issue for use by the militia of Massachusetts Bay was published in Boston later in 1768, and editions for the militias of Connecticut and New Hampshire appeared in 1769 and 1771 (see Sabin 104749-55).Colonel William Windham (1717-1761) spent much of his life on the Continent and served for a time as an officer in one of Queen Maria Theresa's regiments of hussars. Upon his return to England he supported vigorously Pitt's scheme for a national militia in 1756, and aided the Marquis of Townshend in forming the Norfolk militia in 1757.Viscount Townshend (1724-1807) joined the Army in 1745, served at Culloden the following year and received Montcalm's surrender of Quebec in 1759.George Townshend (1753-1811), the author's eldest son, was created Earl of Leicester in 1784 and in 1807 succeeded his father as 2nd Marquis Townshend.THIS IS AN EXCEPTIONAL FAMILY COPY, IN REMARKABLY CLEAN, BRIGHT AND FRESH STATE WITH BROAD TEXT MARGINS AND ONLY THE MOST NEGLIGIBLE AGE-STAINING. THE PLATES, IN PARTICULAR, ARE A MAGNIFICENTLY PRESERVED SUITE OF ENGRAVINGS.Rare; ESTC lists six copies, at least two of which are apparently imperfect. £1850.00

DOUGLAS (H), Maj.-Gen. Sir: A Treatise on Naval Gunnery. Published with the Approbation and Permission of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty. SPLENDID COPY IN CONTEMPORARY BINDING John Murray, 1829 8vo., Second Edition, with several tables in the text, 5 folding engraved diagrams and 4 folding tables; contemporary half calf, gilt back, marbled boards, sprinkled edges, a remarkably crisp, fresh, clean copy. With an engraved armorial bookplate. A handsome and highly desirable copy of a classic work in contemporary binding. Son of Rear-Admiral Sir Charles Douglas, Sir Howard Douglas (1776-1861) enjoyed a distinguished military career and developed a well-earned reputation for enquiry and innovation. By 1811 he had perfected and patented 'Douglas's reflecting circle'; in 1816 he published an important study of military bridges and in 1819 a treatise on Carnot's system of fortification. He then turned his attention to naval matters and produced the first edition of his famous volume on naval gunnery in 1820. It is a comprehensive study covering theoretical, practical and tactical aspects and its impact was significant. Its success, both at home and in translation, led eventually to the establsihment of 'H.M.S. Excellent' as a gunnery training school. £710.00

GALLAND (A).: The First and the Last. The German Fighter Force in World War II. With a Foreword by Douglas Bader. Translated by Mervyn Savill. SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR Methuen, [1955] 8vo., First English Edition, with a frontispiece, 41 plates on 22 and 3 full-page maps and 2 full-page charts in the text, some light offsetting from fold-ins to free endpapers; cloth, gilt back, a near fine copy in unclipped dust-wrapper, the latter very lightly rubbed at extremities and with minor loss (not affecting lettering) at head of backstrip. SIGNED AND DATED 1961 BY THE AUTHOR ON TITLE. General Adolf Galland (1912-1996) was one of Germany's leading fighter pilots of WWII and served as General der Jagdflieger (overall commander of the national fighter force) from 1941 to 1945. His combat career began in the Spanish Civil War during which he completed over 300 missions with the Condor Legion. Throughout the Battle of Britain he served with III/JG26 against England and Northern France, and in 1942 devised the successful air protection of the famous 'Channel Dash' of the Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and Prinz Eugen. Later in the same year he tested an early prototype of the Me262, the world's first operational jet fighter, before leaving combat to concentrate on the air defence of Germany against the RAF and USAAF bombing offensive. Increasingly critical of higher Nazi authority, he was relieved of his command following the 'Fighter's Revolt' and returned to front-line duty with the elite Jagdverband in the Spring of 1945. He finished the war with 103 victories in over 700 missions and was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oakleaves, Swords and Diamonds, one of Germany's highest decorations. Galland's autobiography was first published as 'Die Ersten und die Letzen' in 1953 and is widely regarded as the most insightful and far-reaching accounts of WWII Axis air combat and one of the finest overall aviation memoirs of all time. The first English edition, scarce in itself, is extremely difficult to find in anything like this condition. A SIGNED COPY IS QUITE EXCEPTIONAL. £420.00

CHANT-SEMPILL (S): St. Nazaire Commando. [Foreword by Lord Lovat]. SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR John Murray, [1985] 8vo., First Edition, with 25 plates on 12; original red cloth, gilt back, a near fine copy in unclipped dust-wrapper. SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR ON TITLE. Chant-Sempill was awarded the MC for his part in the famous raid, leading a section responsible for the successful destruction of a dry dock pump-house. Wounded and captured, he spent 22 months in captivity (Spangenberg, Rotenburg) before his repatriation as a Grand Blesse. Books signed by CHARIOTEERS are extremely scarce. Enser, p.55; Law, 0473. £260.00

VICTORIA CROSS. VC. HARVEY (D).: Monuments to Courage. Victoria Cross Headstones and Memorials. [Introduction by HRH Princess Alexandra. Foreword by Sir Roden Cutler. Complete set]. FINE SET OF THE PRIVATELY PRINTED FIRST EDITION of the First Edition] [Privately Printed for the Author by Kevin and Kay Patience, Bahrain, 1999] 2 vols., sm. folio, First Edition, with illustrated titles, and many thousands of photographs and facsimiles in the text; dark red cloth, upper boards lettered in gilt, a fine set in unclipped dust-wrappers, the set housed in publisher's pictorial card slip-case. The set comprises Vol. I: 1954-1916; Vol. II: 1917-1982. This monumental work of reference contains over 5000 photographs, recording by date of deed every VC recipient. The entry for each award comprises, typically, photographs of the recipient, headstone or memorial, other relevant memorials, and final resting place. The final resting place details provide (where applicable) accurate location, indicating where headstone or memorial exists; in this way the location of the 300 unmarked graves is also given. In addition there are photographs of representative VC medal groups and a selection of particular recipients, memorials and cemeteries. Numerous appendices contain a gazetteer of resting places, maps of VC-related cemeteries, types of headstone and a wealth of statistical and summary data. The work was privately printed without ISBN. Arguably the most comprehensive and details single work relating to Britain's highest military award. Extremely scarce, especially in this condition. Mulholland & Jordan H52. £220.00

MASON (T).: The Secret Years. Flight Testing at Boscombe Down 1939-1945. [Foreword by Air Chief Marshal Sir John Allison] Hikoki Publications, [Aldershot, 1998] Sm. folio, First and Sole Edition, with photographic title, 16 full-page coloured plates containing many fine detailed drawings and many hundreds of monochrome photographs in the text; cloth, gilt back, a fine copy in unclipped dust-wrapper. £85.00

BEESLY (P).: Very Special Intelligence. The Story of the Admiralty's Operational Intelligence Centre 1939-1945. With a Foreword by Admiral of the Fleet the Earl Mountbatten of Burma. SIGNED COPY Hamish Hamilton, [1977] 8vo., First Edition, with 8 plates and front and rear endpaper maps, endpapers very lightly spotted; cloth, gilt back, a very good, clean copy in unclipped dust-wrapper. SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR ON TITLE. Beesly served in OIC from 1940; his account is the first to describe in detail its fight against Germany, excluding the Mediterranean theatre. A useful complement to Maclachlan but with the advantage that ULTRA was beginning to declassify and there is here much new material. Specific episodes include the sinkings of the Bismarck and the Scharnhorst, the Channel Dash and Arctic convoy PQ 17. A key text in the unveiling of ULTRA by a central player in its dissemination. Signed copies are scarce. Law 0816. £195.00

GRANT (I.L).: Burma: The Turning Point. The Seven Battles on the Tiddim Road which Turned the Tide of the Burma War. [Foreword by Field Marshal Lord Bramall]. SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR WITH A.L.S Zampi Press, Chichester, [1993] 8vo., First Edition, with 48 plates on 24, 8 coloured maps, and 7 full-page maps in the text; original green cloth, gilt back, a near fine copy in unclipped dust-wrapper. SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR ON TITLE, AND WITH A PRESENTATION A.L.s. FROM THE AUTHOR ON HIS PERSONAL LETTERHEAD TO DONALD EALES-WHITE. The first of Lyall Grant's masterly analyses of the Burma war and forerunner of 'The Japanese Invasion' (co-written with Tamayama and similarly privately printed some six years later). In this outstanding analysis, using extensive fresh information from both British and Japanese sources, Grant produces the most authoritative history to date. Includes command structures, OOB, statistical appendices and bibliography. An outstanding contribution to the history of WWII. Signed copies are very scarce. Graham & Cole E20. £165.00